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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Prep Favorites

I'm within the 1st 2 weeks of prep and all is smooth-sailing for now. My food is GREAT - lots of good choices for me, especially at breakfast, and all food choices throughout the day are foods that I like. That's the bonus of working with a trainer who doesn't give you a cookie-cutter diet of nothing but oats, egg whites, chicken, tilapia, and asparagus. I get stuff like cream of wheat, oat bran, ground turkey, lean red meat, shrimp, scallops, rice cakes, white potatoes..........I like the variety, as my dietary autonomy is still very important as I make the transition over into contest prep mode. About a week before LA gave me my diet, I sent her an email with all of my faves. Sure, I can't eat Greek Yogurt and fruit for bfast, lunch, and dinner like I have been for a while, but my taste buds are equally as happy with my current selection.

I spent 3 hrs in the kitchen last Thursday night prepping all of my food, and I resurrected some of my old school recipes. 3hrs in 1 night is a lot for me - once I get into a good rotation/schedule, I'll do 2 nights of about 30-45 minutes each. I try to keep 1 night to meats and 1 night to starches/veggies. That way I'm not doing everything at once and it's not as cumbersome of a task. I firmly believe that dietary success is rooted in preparation/planning, and if you make it overwhelming, you'll be less likely to succeed. PLAN, people!

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix it together with your hands until well-combined. Form into patties (however big or small you want) OR into meatballs. Heat a grill pan or grill over medium high heat and spray with PAM. Grill or pan sear for about 6 mins a side or until done (I under cook mine a bit so that when I re-heat them, they're not too done and dry). Top with yellow mustard and low sugar ketchup (optional). I sometimes top mine with pickle slices, too :)

Ultimately the onion soup mix will have to come out, at which time I'll switch over to things like onion/garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, oregano, etc.

BP's Fiesta Chicken
I get crazy for Mexican food during prep, and this tends to satisfy my cheesy needs! 1 of my meals right now is 140g chicken + 100g brown rice, so I grill my chicken breasts for the week plain - just salt and pepper.

Combine chicken and brown rice in a bowl and top with salsa, guac seasoning, and fat free cheese. Zap in the microwave for about 1minute 20 seconds until the cheese has melted. Scrumtrulescent!!

BP's BBQ pulled chicken or pork
Definitely an all-time fave, and I even make this in the off season. I put this in the crock pot at night before I go to bed; when I wake up in the morning, my chicken/pork are done! I find using frozen chicken/pork keep it much more moist than using thawed out meat. That's what she said.

Pour enough BBQ sauce in the bottom of a crock pot to cover it. Lay the frozen chicken breasts on top of the BBQ sauce. Pour a little more sauce on top and sprinkle on the BBQ seasoning. Roast for 6hrs on low in the crock pot.

BP's basil mint shrimp or scallops
My meal plan usually always calls for "white fish," which includes shrimp and scallops. I love them both and this recipe is really versatile.

Place washed scallops/shrimp in a bowl and spray liberally with PAM. Sprinkle on basil, mint, and red pepper and toss to coat. Heat grill pan or regular pan over medium high heat and sear on each side for 2-3 mins. Yum!

Arrange asparagus spears in a small pyrex dish and spray with the PAM olive oil spray or with regular olive oil. Sprinkle salt/pepper on top and toss to coat. Heat a grill skillet over high heat and char-grill until you see grill marks. So simple, but really yummy.

Sweet Potato Fries
I've posted this recipe MANY times, but it's a goodie, so here it is again:

Arrange fries on a cookie sheet sprayed with PAM. Spray the fries lightly with PAM and sprinkle on all the herbs. Heat your oven to 400 and bake for 40-50 mins. They won't really be crispy like fries, so don't expect that. Frying is really what gives them a crispy texture. These are BAKED and thus healthier.